No PIN required for self-checkout machines

You wrote:

The removal of the passwords on the self-check-out is dangerous.

I have on two occasions found student ID cards. I gave them to security, but what if the policy had been in place, and someone else had found the cards?

Can you really say the student is responsible for stolen books on their card if you do this?

When a credit card is stolen the card company assumes the cost of the theft, is the library willing to do this?

and

I’m shocked to see that password is no longer required to borrow books using the self check-out machines. I would like the library to tell me what the policy will be regarding books checked out on a card that was lost or stolen. I understand that, in any case, students must always report a stolen ID card as soon as they notice the card is missing, but noticing that the card is missing is not instantaneous. I can honestly think of no other instances where a card can be used by a complete stranger like this. A debit card requires a pin, and a credit card holder is not liable for purchases made on a stolen card, even if these purchases were made before the card was reported stolen.

Everyone agrees that security must be improved with these kinds of devices, so what is the reasoning behind this unannounced change? And will students be held responsible for books “borrowed” on a stolen card? Will there be a maximum amount of money one must pay?

Thank you for your comments and questions. On March 19th, the Libraries announced that a PIN would no longer be required when using a library self-check machine. This is one of those tricky situations where the need for simplicity is measured against the need for security.

It is true that the present system of not requiring a PIN at the self-checkout machines is not as secure as it was in the past. However, abuse of the system can only happen at the self-checkout machines. Nowhere else. Therefore, if a student reports that items were checked out on his/her record without his/her knowledge, we can tell what terminal they were checked out from. If the item was loaned out at a self-checkout machine, staff will take this information into account when deciding how to handle lost book charges, etc.

So, since -

• there is a limited number of places where a problem can occur
• similar systems have been in place in other universities for over ten years
• we want to make it easier for students to use the self-checkout service, especially after regular service hours

PINs are no longer required for self-checkout. That said, if students notice that they have lost their id cards, they should report it asap.

“Expired” pages

You wrote:

I’ve noticed that whenever I’m doing research and want to look at a past or forward searches on the library webpage, it never seems to work and says “webpage has expired”. This is really frustrating especially if you’d like to see a past search.

Thank you for pointing this out. I am assuming that this happens when you are searching in CLUES, the library catalogue. I’ve noticed it too and you’re right, it *is* frustrating! I have forwarded your comment to the Libraries’ CLUES Team. In the meantime, I suggest that rather than use your browser’s back button, you try using the navigation links within CLUES.

Surprised by recalls

You wrote:

During my 3 years as a Concordia University student I have often made use of the many services provided at the Webster library and have had nothing but good experiences. Unfortunately this semester I have had to deal with something that, till now, I did not know was even a possibility: Recalls.

Like many other students, I have final assignments to write and have taken out a number of books from the library which I need in order to complete those assignments. Apparently it is possible for another student to recall a book which has already been borrowed by another which forces it to be returned without possibility of renewal; I have had the misfortune of being in possession of a book that has been recalled. Here is my dilemma, I borrowed this
book because I need it to write a final paper which is due Monday, December 10, I did not take it out for leisurely reading, and if it had been the case I would have had no problem returning it by the due date. In my
case, I have not been able to return it since I am using it and will be until my paper has been completed, in the meantime I am being charged $1 a day in late fees and by the time I can return in I will need to pay a total of $20. Is this really fair to me?

I think it has happened to everyone at least once where the book they intended to borrow has already been taken out. What most people do when faced with that situation is move on to find another book. Never have I had the
audacity to force them to return it so I can use it instead, logically if it has been borrowed (especially in the context of a school library) it is because they need it. Finals are stressful enough without having to worry about escalating library fees (not to mention suspended library privileges) for which I really cannot do anything about. This assignment in question is one of the many I am currently working on so before it is mentioned let me specify that it is impossible for me to complete it by the due date of my book rather than the due date of the assignment itself.

Joanna Duy, Head, Access Services, Vanier Library replied:

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to let us know of your concerns with our recall system. One of the biggest challenges in devising library circulation policies is how to balance the needs of individuals who are currently using a book with the needs of others who may also need the same book. We think that it’s reasonable to guarantee every user two weeks with the book they need – so when you check out a book (unless it’s a reserve item) you are guaranteed 14 days with that book. Even if it is recalled, you won’t have to return it until after your 14 days are over. This kind of recall system and/or not allowing renewals on books that have been requested by other users is standard practice in many academic libraries.

Despite our best efforts, however, we know that 14 days may not always be enough time to read the book or complete a paper, especially when several other assignments are due at the same time. One option I could suggest is to check and see if the item is available in another Montreal-area university library, and if it is, you could obtain a CREPUQ borrowing card and go and borrow it from the other library for 14 days (when you’re finished, you can return it at Concordia). For more information on this, see:

http://library.concordia.ca/services/circulation/crepuq.html

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts on this issue. Your feedback and suggestions are always helpful in shaping our policies.

Fines in MyCLUES

You wrote:

Good day!
I wondered if there was a specific place on the library site where I could check to see if I had a fine for late return of a book that was recalled?

If not, would it be possible to set up such a system on MyClues?

Thank you for your great question.  Indeed, MyCLUES will provide you with that information.  If you have any library fines, they will show up in MyCLUES.

You can also go to MyCLUES to get a complete list of items you have out at the moment, to renew books, to set up preferred searches, and to consult your reading lists and your reading history.

PIN for the self-checkout machines

You wrote:

I have never been so frustrated in my life trying to get a PIN to take out some library books. There is no link provided on the machine, and when I go to the Clues homepage, you don’t even put the proper link to set up a password for the automatic machine set up at the entrance of the Webster Library. Useless.

I am so sorry that you had such a frustrating experience.  You are correct in that there is no link on the self-checkout machine.  Our Systems people will look into it and see if it would be possible.  Also, the help screens that appear on the self-checkout screens need to be updated.

However, I just want to clarify that the “password” or PIN for the self-checkout machines is, in fact, the same PIN you use for MyCLUES.  You set this up by clicking on the *login to myclues* button. 

Complete instructions are at: http://library.concordia.ca/help/howto/pins.html .

I hope that this helps and that you will be able to use the self-checkout machines in the future.

Intro to ebooks

You wrote:

As a new student of Concordia, I was browsing the many services I could benefit from. Perhaps I overlooked some features, but I did not come across any online digital media distribution (ebooks and audiobooks). I was wondering if it would be possible for the University to partner with companies such as OverDrive which allow students to access content from virtually anywhere.

Congratulations on being accepted at Concordia!

It is true that we do not have access to OverDrive.  However, the Libraries have thousands of ebooks from other publishers and platforms.  You can browse our ebooks collection from this page:  http://library.concordia.ca/research/internet/ebooks.php?guid=browse .  You can also simply search our catalogue, CLUES, and if we have electronic books on your topic, they will come up in your results.

FYI, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec  (BANQ) has Overdrive.  All residents of Québec have access to the BANQ’s physical and virtual collection.  If you are new to Montréal, take a look at their website as well!

Best wishes for a wonderful end-of-summer and a great start to the semester.

Signing in First Thing

You wrote:

I always want to sign in first thing. How come we have to wait until we are in the middle of a function? Sometimes I have multiple pages open and forget which I’m signed in or not, going back and forth from Google… I would appreciate a sign in option on the heading along with the clues/keyword prompt.

Thanks for writing to us about this. It sounds like you are talking about the Login to MyCLUES function, but I may be misunderstanding.  There is a CLUES login button along the permanent header of our website, as shown here:

You are not the first to have asked for more obvious and upfront login options, so consider the feedback noted. Since much of our website and many of our CLUES search functions are free to all, however, we also try not to overemphasize the login aspect.

If you often switch back and forth between Google and library resources while working from home, you should also know about something we’ve mentioned once or twice before on this blog:  the Concordia Virtual Private Network (VPN). With the VPN installed,  you won’t be asked to login to MyCLUES to access most Concordia-only online resources such as e-journals and databases from home. And because the VPN allows your computer to be recognized as part of the Concordia University network, you can often even directly access the full text of online journal articles from Google or Google Scholar listings rather than having to open a new window or tab and go through the library web site.

The VPN software must be downloaded and configured on your computer, but that need only be done once, and step by step instructions are available. Feel free to write back to us if you were actually referring to something else,  or if you need more information about any of the above.

Select Books Closer to Home

You wrote:

It would be convenient if the system could automatically pick a copy of a book available in the library corresponding to the circulation desk where the book is supposed to be held. For example, I requested a copy of a book to be held at the SGW circulation desk, and there are two copies available at Webster, but the system chose to assign me the Vanier copy. It is not very convenient, especially on weekends when there are no trucks going from Loyola to the downtown campus.

Thanks for the suggestion.  As you stated, currently if a book is requested through CLUES and there are copies available at each campus library, the copy on the campus specified as pick-up location will not automatically be the one chosen by the system.   It certainly would make sense for CLUES to assign copies of requested items in this way - a possible systems enhancement, though further investigation and testing would of course be necessary first.  On the whole, though, the problem you describe will not occur very often:  duplication of books between Webster and Vanier is quite rare, at least for newer items in the collection. Thanks again for bringing up this interesting point.

For more details about using the CLUES Request option, see our info page.

Ideal book not on the shelf

You wrote:

I was doing some research on genocide prevention and found an ideal book which of course, was not on the shelf, though according to CLUES, it was. However, I found an online version that it would be great if you could add onto the library site for this book, as that saved me a lot of hassle. It’s called “Intervention to Stop Genocide and Mass Atrocities: International Norms
and U.S Policy” and the link is
http://www.cfr.org/humanitarian-intervention/intervention-stop-genocide-mass-atrocities/p20379  Hope this can help someone else!

Thanks for letting us know about this. Doesn’t it feel like that is always the way? You find the perfect book, CLUES tells you ”Availability: IN LIBRARY”, but when you go to find the item on the shelf  it isn’t there!  It’s nice to hear that in your case the publisher is actually offering a free version of this particular book online – a link to it has been added in CLUES as per your suggestion.

For anyone faced with a similar predicament, but without the good fortune of finding a legitimate version online, here are some tips that might help:

1. Ask for assistance at the Information/Reference desk. Sometimes it turns out that the book is actually there on the shelf, and that you simply misunderstood what CLUES was trying to tell you. Librarians and staff at the Desk can let you know if that is the case.
2. Look up the book in CLUES and use the online Request link to initiate a search and reserve the book for yourself if found. (Just don’t use a computer workstation from within the library in which the book belongs, as the Request link will not appear there. Any other computer will work, including your laptop, phone, or a library laptop.) I used the Request link to initiate a search for the book mentioned here, and it has now been declared MISSING in CLUES. In the coming weeks and months the book will be searched again several times, and if not found, declared LOST in CLUES.
3. If the book you want does turn out to be missing or lost, you can request it from another library by using our InterLibrary Loans/COLOMBO form, or you can ask for a CREPUQ card at the Circulation desk and go borrow the book in person if it is available at another local library.

Hope some of this helps!

Cancelling “requests” made in CLUES

You wrote:

Sur la page ”Clues Library Catalogue”, il serait bien d’avoir une page où l’on pourrait voir les livres que l’on a ”request” et ainsi pouvoir les annuler si le
besoin est.

Merci pour votre suggestion. En fait, en vous connectant à MyCLUES, vous avez accès a votre dossier d’usager, incluant toutes vos demandes de réservation (“requests”). Ainsi, vous pouvez les annuler n’importe quand.

Thank you for your suggestion.  In fact, if you login to MyCLUES, there is a page there where you can see all your requests and you can cancel them at any time.